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E-commerce is a growing industry, with more people realizing the value of shopping online. Consumers are starting to feel more comfortable looking for deals on ecommerce sites. If you have thought about adding an e-commerce option to your existing business or you have something that you would like to start selling online, then look over these top tips for creating a successful e-commerce website.

#1 – Choose Your Products

Obviously, you need to decide a product th

at you want to sell. If you already have a business, you should still decide if all of your existing products will be made available online or just a section of your current line of products. When choosing products, you should also be thinking about shipping. Decide if shipping will be included in your prices or if they will be calculated during checkout. Make a list of all the products that you intend to sell through your e-commerce site and then perform a search to find your biggest competition.

#2 – Look at Your Competition

Take a look at your competition and see how their website is set up. Look at the layout and design of the website, as well as their prices. You should try to keep your prices within reason. Learn what you can about the industry that you are involved in and what customers have to say about your competition. You may come up with some ideas that you can use, by reading customer reviews of other websites. Find out what they did not like and think of ways to improve the customer experience.

#3 – Choose an Ecommerce Platform

Choosing the platform that you want, to build your website, is one of the most important decisions you will make. There are many different options. When you look for web hosting, you may find that several companies offer free ecommerce options. Always read customer reviews of these platforms, before deciding. One option is to use WordPress, the most popular website building platform, along with an e-commerce theme or plugin.

The platform you choose should be able to handle inventory management and shipping calculations. It should also include a payment system, or at least the option to include a credit card payment plugin or add-on.

#4 – Market Your Website

Using online marketing you can get more people to visit your website. Try to use a variety of online marketing techniques, including regular blog posting, targeted email lists, social media posting, pay-per-click advertising, and other useful marketing strategies. With a targeted email list, consider using an email marketing platform, for the management of the email list and to schedule newsletters or mass emails.

#5 – Offer Deals and Coupons

Every customer loves saving money. Offer your customers deals and coupons. One way to do this is to offer a digital coupon, whenever they make a purchase, which can then be used during their next purchase. You could also provide customers with a promotional code after they sign up to your newsletter. This is a good way to build your targeted email list and promote your products to existing customers.

It may take a while before you start seeing positive results, especially if you do not already have an established business. It takes time for backlinks and marketing to help draw in more visitors. Make sure you follow these tips, starting with the selection of products. Stay in line with your competition, choose a good platform for building your website, use online marketing to reach more people and generate backlinks, and offer your customers deals and coupons. Eventually, you should start receiving regular traffic to your e-commerce site.